The weather’s going to cool off. But when will it rain?

Relief from the early-season heat wave is close, forecasters say. Relief from dry weather is another issue.

“One more day of hot weather is on tap,” National Weather Service meteorologist Robbie Munroe said Thursday, adding that a gradual break in the heat is expected to begin Friday.

The thermometer hit 95 degrees Tuesday at the airport in Rock Hill and 94 on Wednesday. Similar near-record highs were expected Thursday, but the large high pressure system responsible for the heat was expected to begin breaking down by late in the day.

In fact, a weak cold front that is forecast to cross the region Friday could bring some showers and thunderstorms to a few spots in the Rock Hill area.

Munroe said high temperatures Friday are expected to be near 90 degrees. That’s seven or eight degrees above average for the end of May, but it’s also several degrees below recent days.

Any thunderstorms that develop Friday afternoon have the potential to turn strong, forecasters say.

Temperatures will drop a couple more degrees Saturday and Sunday, with afternoon highs topping out around 88 degrees. Another drop, into the middle 80s, is forecast for early next week.

Little or no rain is in the forecast, outside of Friday, for the region during the next six or seven days. That is a problem, with surface and subsoil conditions becoming drier, according to scientists.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported Thursday that 86 percent of South Carolina’s surface soil is now considered abnormally dry. That is up from 48 percent a week ago. And 76 percent of the below-ground soil is now very dry, authorities say. The long-range forecast from government scientists calls for “average” precipitation in the Carolinas over the next two weeks.

This story was originally published May 30, 2019 at 2:00 PM.